I've Got Your Back
by Daydreaming Heart
Summary: (Oneshot) Just the short tales of the strange friendship between a gruff but secretly bashful mercenary and a wisecracking but loyal scholar over the years, from childhood bullies to matters of life and death, and still being good comrades after all is said and done. (no shipping other than references of Squinoa)


He would cry so loudly when Seifer stole that stuffed lion of his. She pitied him, especially since he was Ellone's shadow, and now she was gone.

One day, she had enough of Seifer tormenting the boy, taking that plush animal and running around, making jeers at him. She was going to do what Ellone would've done: get it back for him.

She walked right up to him, looked him right in the eye.

"Get out of my way, four-eyes!" Seifer sneered as she blocked his path.

"Your fly is down." Was her cool response.

…Well…that's...not _exactly_ what Ellone would say, but close enough.

He immediately started flailing his arms and rushed to his room in embarrassment, dropping the lion. She picked it up and paced towards the still sobbing young boy in the corner, handing it back to him, face full of sympathy.

He glanced at her and quickly swept the lion doll back into his arms, clinging to it tightly. "…T-thanks."

She smirked. "No worries. I've got your back."

* * *

" _Get your nose out of those darn books and do something worthwhile!" "Why can't you play soccer and lacrosse like the other girls instead of having your head in the clouds and your face in the pages!?" "How will someone like you ever expect to get anywhere in life!? You don't become a celebrity by reading all day!"_

One morning after she saved up enough money for a ticket for a ferry going back and forth between Galbadia and Balamb, she packed some things, rushed out the door, and left a note on the dry sink, with the words "I'll show you" etched on it.

She was at least glad that Balamb Garden accepted her application, and she vowed she would study every part of their code like there was no tomorrow, train like mad, and aspire to become a premier SeeD one day, like most of the people who signed up did.

One day, after she finally started really adjusting well, she noticed a fresh face in the crowd, staring a bit blankly at the school map. And yet…

…There was something oddly familiar about that new kid.

He looked like he had it hard, and she guessed that made two of them.

She walked up to him, tucking a strand of sunflower-blonde hair behind her ear and adjusting her glasses. She couldn't wait until she could start her combat training so she could finally start using contacts instead.

"Hey," she greeted him. He turned to face her, there was a bit of a stormy, but noble glint in his eyes, his expression was gloomy, but determined nonetheless. "You new around here?"

He hung his head and gazed at the ground. "…Yeah."

She crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. "You a little lost?"

He scratched the back of his head, his reply sounded as earnest as humanly possible. "…Yeah."

"What's your name?"

He said nothing.

She chuckled. "You're a fellow of few words, aren't you?"

He looked at her again, his face bleak, still silent.

She sighed and placed her hands on her hips. "Mind if I show you around?"

The boy shrugged and turned all the way around to face her. "Well…okay, I guess."

The girl clapped once and smirked. "Alright then, one tour coming right up! Follow me."

As they walked along, she looked back at him for a minute and spoke again.

"I know it's a big place, but you just relax. I've got your back."

* * *

Every so-often, the younger students and SeeDs would have a movie night if Headmaster Cid gave them the green light.

It was a bit late, but it was still the same week she passed the exam, so what better way to celebrate than join in on the flick. She heard it was the same one that inspired her to use her weapon of choice as well, something about the misadventures of a roughneck archaeologist traveling the world and exploring it's many mysteries.

When she walked into the library, where they usually held movie night, things were a tad…chaotic.

"Aww man! Where's the movie!?"

"For once, I agree with Chicken Wuss! You're in charge of setting up the film, so where's the freaking movie, Puberty Boy!?"

The start of Squall's transition from child to teenager had not been kind to his voice, which led him to be quiet for more reasons than one. Sadly, Seifer had been using it to find a cruel nickname for the one kid who never let him get under his skin.

"Y'know, I even spent most of my money on popcorn for all of us!"

"PETULANCE!"

"I was even really looking forward to this night's film…"

Squall tried to contain his rising panic. "I'm looking for it, I'm looking for it. …I had it just a minute ago…"

The fifteen-year-old cadet tried to calmly assess the situation at hand, until about half a minute passed and she noticed the faint gleam of a plastic something underneath one of the chairs.

She casually walked up beside Zell, who was seated and impatiently twiddling his thumbs.

"Pardon me." She stated quietly as she leaned down and quickly snatched the VHS box from under his seat. He just awkwardly watched and looked to the side, unaware that there was something beneath his chair the whole time.

She made her way behind the seated teenagers and paced up to her friend, who mumbled about how he now officially hated social events, before she handed him the tape with a slightly smug look on her face.

He looked at her with a mix of slight exasperation and gratitude. "…I'm starting to think I'd lose my head if my skull wasn't connected with my spine and held together by muscles and skin and what not."

"What can I say?" she mumbled with a bit of a chuckle. "I've got your back."

* * *

"…-and be sure to study up for the practice written exam tomorrow. Class is now dismissed, have a good time on break."

She was surprised how swimmingly well her first day as an actual instructor worked out. She was so flattered and ecstatic when she was offered the promotion, and now that she actually had the job, it just made her feel so proud in spite of how tiring it was, though she figured that would be the case. If only her folks could see her now…

Though it did disturb her how some of the boys were now _winking_ at her. Not that she didn't appreciate that they might've thought she was pretty or classy (the latter, she always strived for), it was just… _creepy._

She was about to leave herself, get a good cup of espresso from the cafeteria that she so desperately needed to make the day a bit easier, though she couldn't help but notice a friend of hers sitting in the back of the class, not budging and looking at the ground with a distant, yet deeply troubled look on his face and a sort of cheerless aura to him.

She pushed in the chair of her workstation and walked down the side of the classroom until she took a seat in the desk in front of him, turning around to face him.

"What's eating you?" she asked him.

"…Nothing." He grumbled.

"You sure? You're making that same face you made that one day after you weren't aware of the pigeons perched above-"

"I said 'nothing'." He snapped a bit louder.

She knew how he was in moods like this…well, there was only one thing to do. "You just said something, though."

He glared at her for a while, his glower irritated but showed signs of being hopeful and ever so slightly amused. "…Why do you do this to me?"

She put on a sunny look. "I may be your instructor, now, but I'm still your friend." She said. "Unless it's something concerning your performance on a test or worksheet, I've got your back."

* * *

She looked up from her watch as the sudden sounds of heavy metal clanking and screams resounded from the evacuated streets of Dollet as she waited on the bridge of the ship.

 _Now where are those guys…?_

There was a loud crash as a monstrous-looking arachnid-inspired piece of machinery burst through the brick tunnel, pieces of ceramics and pavement flying everywhere and the sharp scent of oil filling the air. Two of her allies, Zell and a girl she didn't quite recognize, jumped over the wall and across the beach, stopping as they noted a young man with a mop of brown hair come tumbling down over the ledge, hitting the ground and then getting right back up.

 _He gets his face nearly blown off, he nearly gets burnt to a crisp by a GF, and now this. Squall, you've come a long way from being that lost, flustered new boy in the Garden, and you've suddenly got the stamina of a brick. I'm glad to see it._

She signaled them with a wave of her arm to book it before the robot would pulverize them. This was not the most ideal of scenarios, after all.

The fistfighter and the stranger kept running and made it to the ship's door, but her friend was still staggering from the fall. He looked up to see the mechanical menace that was hot on his trail begin to topple, and with a short yelp, he ran as fast as his legs could carry him across the sand, breathing heavily. Every second was precious as the robot was just now regaining it's mobility, and it would no doubt continue the hunt once it could move again.

The girl she was unacquainted with looked back at the scene behind her, both in horror for her comrade and fascination with the mech, and Zell pounded on the door as Xu opened it.

He and the new girl scurried inside, waving their arms for their friend to hurry up and get inside the ship. "Book it, buddy! That thing's gonna kill you!" Zell shouted repeatedly.

Squall continued to make a mad dash for the door himself, the robot now up and running again and about to spring on him and crush him.

…Well, not if she had anything to say about it!

She rushed for the top of the bridge where a machine gun was stationed, just in case of an event where a powerful monster or bioweapon would pursue a fleeing squad, and just as the machine was about to leap upon her longtime friend, she began to fire at it rapidly.

"Listen up, you rusty, vicious bucket of gears and bolts!" she spat at it. "My students are _NOT_ your prey, and if you think otherwise, _THIS IS WHAT IT GETS YOU!_ "

She was glad to know that it bought Squall enough time to board the ship unscathed, but this spiderlike apparatus could cause some serious harm to civilians in the future, and besides, it was getting uncomfortably close to the oceanic vessel itself and would probably demolish it if it made further progress, so she continued firing at it until it took too many explosions within it's circuits and began to short out, combusting and collapsing onto the sand, probably fated to later become a piece of public art or something of the sort.

A few minutes later, she returned to below the deck, everyone was still catching their breath.

"Pheew-ey, that was… _totally awesome!_ I wanna do that again, sometime!" The female student exclaimed, surprisingly jolly for someone who nearly died.

"Yeah, I beg to differ." Zell retorted, brushing some debris off of his shoulder.

"I just know that I now hate spiders as well as Mondays." Squall mumbled.

"Hey, as an arachnophobe myself, it felt really good to blow that killer machine to sky high." She chimed into the conversation with the aspiring SeeDs.

Zell took note of her presence and waved at her with a relieved and grateful look on his face. "Hey, Instructor! Thanks for saving our butts back there!"

"I second that! Though I wish you didn't have to kill it…"

"…Yeah, thanks."

"Oh…you're welcome." She replied with a complacent sigh. "It's my job, after all. I've got your backs."

* * *

"Having second thoughts?" she queried him, not in a humorous, dry tone like usual, but dead serious considering the circumstances.

He shook his head. "What if I'm doing something seriously wrong…I mean, I don't want her to…you know…but…"

Ragnarok, the team's new aircraft, was now flying on it's way to the place where Esthar was keeping Rinoa, a plucky and hammy but surprisingly anxious young lady, a former revolutionary from Timber who had hired some SeeDs for her cause and a natural talent for magic herself. Over the months, she eventually managed to get into a romantic relationship with Squall, even taught him to lighten up a bit and to smile every now and again. The problem was…well…it was a long story, but to simplify things, she got zapped and went into a coma, and upon waking up, discovered that she had these incredibly dangerous powers bestowed unto her and now the people of the hidden city were going to seal her up because she could be a potential threat.

Though disheartened at first, a pep-talk from his friend and former teacher and the others made Squall resolve to go and rescue the spunky mage he had a sweet spot for from being imprisoned in space for the rest of her life.

Despite the fact she was only one year older than him, she still felt like it was right to think that he was growing up so fast…

"Let me tell you something. Though she and I weren't best friends or anything, if you two had your places switched right about now, Rinoa would be charging in there, shooting Thundagas out all over the place, demanding they'd let _you_ go before she turned them all into piles of ashes."

Squall somberly snickered at the thought. "…Yeah, she definitely would."

"So," she continued, her voice not wavering. "You should probably return the favor, in a sense, and save her at every cost."

He nodded sternly. "You're right."

"Yes, yes I am." She said in her more usual, teasing manner. "Now, let's go save your princess, loverboy."

"…Thanks, Quistis."

"Oh, and one more thing. If you're still feeling nervous about storming a laboratory and all, don't sweat it," she nudged his shoulder with her elbow in an encouraging manner. "I've got your back."

* * *

Three years passed. She was working as hard as ever, looking over paper after paper, correcting question after question without an end to the madness in sight. If it weren't for the tedium, she would've laughed. Just like old times.

The phone rang, and after the chime went off for a few seconds, she decided to pick it up.

"Yes, this is a tortured soul who is currently drowning in a sea of ungraded tests speaking. How may I help you?"

"I have excellent news." A familiar voice she hadn't heard in some time answered from the other side of the line.

She cocked an eyebrow and let loose a smile she could no longer contain. "Hey, it's been a while, hasn't it?"

"Yeah."

"How've you been?"

"As of today, doing great."

"Oh yes, and why is that?"

"She said yes."

"You mean…? Haha! That's wonderful! Congratulations!"

"Thank you. I…I'm still walking on air after the whole thing."

"Heh, if Selphie were here, she'd ask for all the juicy details."

"It's funny…I was so nervous about it all-"

"Nervous? _You?_ "

"H-hey! I'm human! I get a little uneasy sometimes!"

"You wouldn't have admitted that three years ago."

"…I guess you're right…we've all come pretty far, huh?"

"I'm just glad you _finally_ put a ring on her finger."

"So is she. I remember that all she said after I gave her the box was: _'finally! Gimme that gold circle, you big lug!'_ , and then she proceeded to hug me like we were back in space again after she put it on."

"I'm so happy for you two!"

"Thank you."

She paused for a minute, smirking as she knew what her next reply would be.

"By the way…I got a gift card the other day that I can't really use due to time constraints, so if you two want a nice date at a really cozy pizza place-"

"…You've got our backs?" Squall finished for her on the other side of the phone.

Quistis went silent for a few seconds, then promptly tried her best not to laugh aloud.

"You read my mind, old friend."

* * *

 _A/N: HUZZAH! Finished this oneshot at last! I love FFVIII, I really do, and I'm so happy I'm writing about it for the first time since Chanson de Represailles (which is still giving me a lot of trouble). I really enjoyed writing this piece in particular, mostly because Quistis is tied with Rinoa as my favorite character in the game. Her deadpan snarking is downright hilarious, and she has a sort of classy and dignified aura to her that makes her seem pretty cool. And she hits like a truck in battle, that's also a thing.  
I also wanted to write a friendship-based oneshot, and I thought I might as well write something about the camaraderie between her and Squall. I know this is an actual ship, but honestly, it's weird: Squall and Quistis are my NOTP, but they're also my BROTP...BroSisTP? Something like that. XP_

 _As for the other fics, I'm working a little on Through the Cracks of Time as well as Water and Fire, both going slow and steady, feeling like a waterfall. Sorry if I've been a bit inactive, personal problems and Pokemon Sun and Moon happened, plus I need to draw and read some more, so sometimes things can get a little slow on my FF account as far as posting content is concerned. My apologies. ^_^;_

 _Alright, hope you guys enjoyed this silly little oneshot about a friendship over the years! Have a nice day, and may God bless you! ^_^_


End file.
